


maybe the very first mile

by leviathanmirror



Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-01
Updated: 2015-04-01
Packaged: 2018-03-20 19:42:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 387
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3662583
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/leviathanmirror/pseuds/leviathanmirror
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"The face paint," she explains, voice still soft and low, "it’s poisonous to you."</p>
            </blockquote>





	maybe the very first mile

**Author's Note:**

> For the prompt "I'm sorry kiss" and Josephine Appreciation Month.

The first time Adaar returns to her after… after what happened in her quarters (and Leliana’s meddling) she finds herself anxious. It’s improper but she longs to touch her, to press her fingers to the scars on her cheeks and kiss her lips or run her hands through her hair and grip her horns… and she really shouldn’t be thinking that way.

It’s ill-considered and impulsive but when she does see her finally, weary but smiling at the sight of her (presumably, she wasn’t smiling when she wasn’t looking at her and it’s silly to do this because Adaar has said she has said she’s interested in her) she does reach up to touch her cheek.

She never figures out if she intended just to touch or to pull her down for a kiss. Adaar catches her hand, looking startled. For a long moment they look at each other, her hand held halfway to Adaar’s face. Hurt, she says something about being glad Adaar is well and makes excuses of having too much work to stay.

She frets about what she could have done wrong, about Adaar refusing to let her touch her, about the possibility that there was no interest to begin with, about what to say if Adaar passes through to the war room instead of reading letters.

She frets so intently she doesn’t notice Adaar standing in front of her desk until she speaks.

"My vitaar," she says softly, and Josephine looks up at her surprised and confused.

"The face paint," she explains, voice still soft and low, "it’s poisonous to you."

She can feel her cheeks begin to burn with embarrassment.

"I… I’m," she stutters, unsure, if this were Orlais and the Empress she were speaking to, she’d have more grace than this. Her cheeks feel hotter in response.

Adaar smiles for her, moving her chair back from her desk so she can kneel at her feet.

"I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you."

Feeling a fool, she starts to apologize. Adaar leans up, pressing her lips tenderly against Josephine’s.

"No," she says, still close enough to be sharing breath with Josephine, "I never told you."

"In that case," she responds, still blushing but smiling, "you’re forgiven."

She cradles Adaar’s unpainted face in her hands and closes the distance between them again.


End file.
